[04/01/13 - 11:41 AM]History's "The Bible" Finale Delivers 11.7 Million Total Viewers - 14% Increase vs. Last WeekHistory spins the numbers for Sunday, March 31 and said month to date.

[via press release from History]

HISTORY'S "THE BIBLE" FINALE DELIVERS 11.7 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS

14% INCREASE VS. LAST WEEK

HEAD TO HEAD THE BIBLE
BEATS WALKING DEAD
IN THE 9-10PM HOUR

HISTORY POISED TO BE CABLE'S #1 NETWORK IN MARCH IN TOTAL VIEWERS, ADULTS 25-54 AND MEN 24-54 WITH OVERALL SUCCESS OF BROAD PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

New York, NY, April 1, 2013 - The much anticipated finale of HISTORY's THE BIBLE on Sunday March 31st from 8-10pm ET/PT drew blockbuster ratings for the network with 11.7 million total viewers; 4.6 Million Adults 25-54 and 3.8 million Adults 18-49. This is up +14% among total viewers, +18% among A25-54 and +12% among A18-49 vs. last week.

In addition, head to head, the 9-10pm portion of HISTORY's THE BIBLE edged out The Walking Dead 9-10pm portion (12.33 Million total viewers vs. Walking Dead with 12.29). During the 9-10pm hour, THE BIBLE focused on The Resurrection.

For the month, History is poised to finish #1 among all cable networks in total viewers, Adults 25-54, and Men 25-54. History's win is driven by success across its broad primetime schedule with The Bible (11.4m total viewers for all five weeks), Vikings (5.0m to date), Pawn Stars (5.0m), Swamp People (4.5m), American Pickers (4.4m), Big Rig Bounty Hunters (2.4m), and Top Gear (1.8m) all earning strong results.

THE BIBLE was created and executive produced by renowned producer Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, The Apprentice, Shark Tank) and Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel). The series, a landmark television event, combined one of the greatest collections of stories ever assembled with live action and state-of-the-art CGI. The series was narrated by Emmy award-winning actor/vocalist Keith David (Mr & Mrs Smith; Platoon; Crash) and featured a musical score by the world renowned Grammy and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.

The Bible series is now available on Blu-ray and DVD with hours of exclusive special features and extras making it a must-own for every home. A book series by Mark and Roma is currently available in stores.

THE BIBLE series is produced for HISTORY by Lightworkers Media and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication. Executive Producers are Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Richard Bedser. Executive Producers for HISTORY are Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs. THE BIBLE is distributed by One Three Media, Inc.

About HISTORY(R)

HISTORY(R) is the leading destination for factual entertainment, including award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network's all-original programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hits including American Pickers(R), American Restoration(TM), Ax Men(TM), Ice Road Truckers(R), Pawn Stars(R), Swamp People(R) and Top Shot(R) as well as epic mini-series and specials such as the Emmy(R) Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD, America The Story of Us, and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United States Library of Congress selected HISTORY's Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War sesquicentennial. www.history.com

About Roma Downey

A celebrated, Emmy-nominated actress Roma Downey is best known for her nine seasons as the tender-hearted angel on the hit CBS show Touched by an Angel. Roma starred in over 200 episodes and her work as the compassionate angel inspired millions of people around the world and earned Roma multiple best actress nominations for Emmy's and Golden Globe awards. Born in Ireland and classically trained in London, Ms. Downey has performed on stage with the famed Abbey Theatre Company and has appeared both on and off Broadway. She played the leading role of Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the Emmy award winning six hour miniseries for NBC called "A Woman Named Jackie." Ms. Downey not only starred in, but executive produced seven television movies for The CBS network, among them "Borrowed Hearts" with Eric Mc Cormack and "Second Honeymoon" with Tim Matheson. She is the executive producer of the children's DVD and book series "Little Angels" and its companion "Little Angels Storybook Bible". Downey is currently producing a ten hour miniseries, The Bible with her husband, Mark Burnett. This is being produced under their company LightWorkers Media and is the first collaboration of this husband and wife team. Ms. Downey not only produced the series but stepped into the role of Mary the Mother of Christ. Ms. Downey and Mr. Burnett have co-authored a companion book to the series 'A Story of God and all of Us.' The book is to be published this Spring by Faith Words. For many years Ms Downey has been a spokesperson for "Operation Smile" a volunteer organization that brings free surgeries to children around the globe with facial deformities. She has travelled to third world and developing countries making fund raising films on their behalf.

About Mark Burnett

Four time Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett has produced over 1,200 hours of television programming which regularly airs in over 70 countries worldwide. His current network series include "Survivor" (CBS), "The Voice" (NBC), "The Celebrity Apprentice" (NBC), and "Shark Tank" (ABC). In last 12 months Burnett series have won their time slots on 5 nights of television in the same week. Burnett is one of very few producers to have had a renewed series on each of the four major networks. He also has a strong presence in award show franchises, having produced the "MTV Movie Awards" from 2007 to 2011, the annual "People's Choice Awards" since 2010, the "Video Game Awards" (Spike) and the 2011"Primetime Emmy Awards." Burnett is currently producing and distributing ten hour miniseries on The Bible (with his wife Roma Downey - Star of Touched by an Angel) for air globally in Spring 2013. Mr. Burnett has been named one of the world's most influential people by TIME Magazine and also listed as TV Guide's most valuable player. He has won BRANDWEEK'S Marketer of the Year Award, The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, the PGA Norman Lear Award and the prestigious ROSE D'OR FRAPA Format Award. Burnett was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was honored in 2010 with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He served two elected terms on the Board of Directors for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles.

* The 50M reflects total cumulative viewing regarding an audience that sampled all or at least a part of the program. Source: Nielsen Live+SD Reach, 3/3-3/10/13, 1 min qual. All telecasts.